Review | Queentide at SOhO Restaurant & Music Club

“We are Queentide, and it’s so good to be home,” declared band member Madeline (Maddy) Dahm as the group kicked off their set at SOhO Restaurant and Music Club on September 30. 

With a devoted hometown following, the beloved band was greeted by an enthusiastic sea of fans who cheered and sang along to every lyric, their faces illuminated by a dazzling disco ball suspended from the ceiling. 

On stage stood Dahm, Emma Vogan, Bela Lafferty, Cameron Crabtree, Ryan Lykins, and Nick Buckenham. The band, who refer to their sound as “Porch Rock,” delivered energetic performances of their most-loved songs. They even surprised the audience with a cover of the Mammas and The Pappas song “Snowqueen of Texas,” a very fitting cover and one of my favorites. 

But the band’s performance shined when they sang their original tracks like “Oh my Lanta,” “Filled with Water,” “West Goleta,” and “Triple Homicide,” a track about Lafferty’s no-good dog Chicho. “Raise your hand if you’ve met Chicho — I apologize.” Their playful and easygoing attitudes set the tone for a fun-filled night. 

Maintaining their authenticity, they prefaced most of their songs by sharing the inspiration behind each track, offering a glimpse into the personal narratives behind their music. A great example of this is the track “Filled With Water,” which is a track not just about missing home but about missing Santa Barbara: “I dream of going back when I’m blue as my old bike, the hills are all greener now that I’ve been away, the yard is filled with yellow flowers, and I wonder why I didn’t stay.” 

Along with this, they’ve also created a distinctive sound by blending a diverse range of instruments. They use more common ones like guitars and drums. But their unique sound shines through a variety of percussion instruments like tambourines and shakers, which Lafferty plays throughout the show. Their infectious energy made it impossible not to be captivated by this ensemble, which delivered exceptional sound and an equally brilliant performance.

Their work inside the studio is perfectly emulated outside of it. A delightful surprise for their audience, the band sang their new single “Sorbet,” which came out the day of their SOhO performance. The track encapsulates all the nostalgic feelings of summer. 

Keeping the inspiration alive, about halfway through their performance, lead singer Dahm briefly spoke about her journey battling and surviving breast cancer in response to Breast Cancer Awareness Month in October. She shared that she was diagnosed shy of her 25th birthday and urged the audience to be vigilant and “check your breasts!” The band then sang “The Haunted Garden” from their album Queentide.“This song is about being sick, making art, and trying to feel better,” shared Dahm. 

The band ended their show with one of their most popular songs, “West Goleta.” They walked off stage, but it was clear before they even put their instruments down that the crowd wanted more. The venue roared with people chanting, “One more song.” 

The band, accompanied by their openers Magnetize and Camreed, returned to the stage for an exhilarating encore of “Jumpin Jack Flash” by The Rolling Stones. Some of them switched instruments, with Dahm now on the drums, their openers Magnetize dancing on the stage, and Cam Reed taking the position as lead singer. Needless to say, they probably could have gone on for hours, and the crowd may have never tired out.